Containers for fluids with reserve space



Jan. 26, 1965 H. K. BROSS 3,167,057

CONTAINERS FOR FLUIDS WITH RESERVE SPACE Filed April 17, 1962 HelmutKarl Bross INVENTOR ATTORN EY United States Patent 3,167,057 CONTAINERFORSFLUIDS WITH RESERVE PACE Hehnut Karl Brass, 4t} Weichselgartenstn,Altenberg uher Numberg, Germany, assignor of fifty percent to Frank T.Johmann, Berkeley Heights, NJ.

Filed Apr. 17, 1962, Ser. No. 188,136 1 Claim. (Cl. 120-4216) Thisinvention relates to containers for fluids with re serve space.Particularly, the invention relates to ink or water color cartridges forfountain pens and the like. More particularly, the invention relates toflexible ink cartridges having a reserve supply of ink that can beswitched into use by squeezing the cartridge after the main ink supplyhas been exhausted.

A number of proposals have been made whereby the user of anink-cartridge type fountain pen can be provided with a reserve supply ofink. Without such a reserve supply, if the pen runs dry, it has becomeuseless until the user inserts a new ink cartridge. Since the pen isliable to run dry at any time, and since the user is unlikely to alwayscarry or have a spare ink cartridge handy, it has become desirable tofurnish a reserve ink supply to permit continued Writing use until suchtime as it is convenient to insert a new ink cartridge into the pen.

A number of various proposals have been made to furnish such a reservesupply. One system in use in Europe, is to provide two half-cartridgesin tandem in the pen. When the first half-cartridge becomes exhausted,the

writer then inserts the second half-cartridge into use.

two half-cartridges is nearly twice the cost of a single full lengthcartridge.

Another prior proposal has been to use two cartridges, but of diiferentlengths. However, this has several of the disadvantages relating to thehalf-cartridge technique described above, particularly with regard tocost.

Still another proposal teaches a cartridge divided into a number ofcompartments by thin-membrane walls which are selectively pierced, oneafter another, by a very long pointed tubular ink feeding prong uponshifting the cartridge axially toward the pen point. However, it is verydifficult to build an acceptable fountain pen so as to be able to shiftthe cartridge through large axial distances. Also, a shifting device hasto be provided.

The present invention represents an improvement over the above prior artdevices by providing a cartridge having a reserve space of any size,e.g. to 30% of the total ink supply of the cartridge can be held inreserve. In addition, the cartridges of the invention are simple,inexpensive and do not require any modification of the fountain pen.Because of this last feature, the cartridges of the invention can bemade to serve conventional cartridge fountain pens already in use.

The invention will be further understood by reference to the followingdescription and the drawings which include a preferred embodiment of theinvention and where- FIGURE 1 is an axial view, partly in section, of acartridge of the invention in use in a fountain pen.

FIGURES 2 to 5 are each axial views, partly in section, of othercartridges of the invention.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view of a divider for insertion in an inkcartridge.

3,167,057 Patented Jan. 26, 1965 FIGURE 7 is a sectional view of anotherdivider for.

insertion in an ink cartridge.

FIGURE 8 is a view taken along the lines 88 of FIGURE 7.

In FIGURE 1, the cartridge C is shown in combination with a conventionalcartridge type fountain pen including writing point 16 ink feeder 11,barrel portions 12 and 13 in threaded engagement, and the beveled-endedtubular ink feeder prong 14 which conveys ink from cartridge C towriting point 10.

The cartridge C has the outer tubular wall 15 closed by rear wall 16,while the forward end of cartridge C defines a conventional tubular neck17. The cartridge wall 15 is necked-down at 18 to define a constricted.capillary passage 19 connecting the main ink reservoir space 20 and thereserve ink space 21. This partition or necked-down portion can beobtained by twising the plastic (cg. polyethylene or polypropylene)cartridge while hot, or it can be obtained by any other suitable means.The passage 19 is too small to allow ink 23 in reserve space 21 to passfreely into main ink space 20 during normal Writing use or under theinfluence of gravity. However, once the main ink space 20 has becomeempty as indicated in FIG- URE 1, then that portion of the elastic wall15 adjacent reserve space 21 is squeezed together in the direction ofarrows 22. This squeezing will force. the reserve ink 23, throughaperture 19, into ink space 29 where it can now flow under gravity intoink feeding prong 14.

In the embodiment of FIGURE 2, the small diameter capiliary aperture 19ais defined in the end wall 24 of a rigid insert having tubular sidewalls in fixed, (e.g. frictional), engagement with tubular cartridgewall 15a. by squeezing the deformable wall 15a adjacent the reserve inkspace 21a, the reserve liquid ink 23a can be forced into the main inkspace 29a when the space 20a becomes empty. In construction, thecartridge walls 15a and 16a are molded or blown in one piece. This piececan then be set on end and the ink 23a poured into the tube, then member24-25-19a can be fitted into! the cartridge, egg. by frictionalengagement of tubular wall 25 with the wall 15a. The remainder of theink can then be poured into the tube to fill space 20a. Then the tubularneck portion of wall 15a to give the sealed cartridge, ready for use.The thin membrane 26 is subsequently pierced by an ink feeder prong(e.g. the prong 14 of FIGURE 1) when the cartridge is inserted in acartridge type fountain pen.

Another cartridge of the invention is shown in FIG- URE 3. Here, thetubular coupling 27 includes the transversely extending wall orpartition 28 defining the capillary aperture 29. Concentric tubularwalls 30 and 31 extend from transverse wall 28 towards the front of thecartridge. Corresponding tubular walls 30 and 31' extend from wall 28towards the rear of the cartridge. The cartridge includes the tubularportion 1511 having its back open end fixed between walls 30 and 31. Thereserve ink tubular portion 32 has its open front end fixed betweenwalls 30' and 31', while its back end is closed by wall 33. When the inkin main reservoir portion 29b is exhausted, then the reserve ink portion32 is squeezed to force ink through capillary opening 29 into saidreservoir portion 2%.

In FIGURE 4, a rigid, but porous, plus 34 serves as the transversepartition to divide the main. ink reservoir Zilc from the reserve inkreservoir 21c. When main reservoir 2% is empty of ink, the resilientcartridge Wall 15c proximate reserve space 21c is squeeze-d to force thereserve ink through the porous openings in plug 34 into reservoir space200. The plug 34 defines a series of interconnecting capillary porousopenings connecting ink reservoirs 20c and 21c.

In FIGURE 5, I provide a plug of porous sponge-like material 35 in therear portion of the cartridge Cd. The plug 35 can be foam rubber,polyurethane foam, or other porous, resilient material defininginterconnecting capillary pores. After ink in reservoir 20d isexhausted, the reserve ink is squeezed out of the capillary pores ofplug 35 by squeezing the resilient casing d adjacent said plug 35. Inthis embodiment, the plug 35 not only defines the transversely extendingpartition to divide the cartridge into a main ink reservoir and areserve ink reservoir, but pores defined by said plug also constitutethe reserve ink reservoir.

FIGURE 6 represents a plug defining the partitioning Wall 24:2 andhaving side walls 25@ for fixed engagement Within a tubular inkcartridge to thereby divide the car tridge (not shown) into a main inkreservoir and a reserve ink reservoir. By deforming the cartridge wallproximate the reserve ink reservoir, the increased pressure on thereserve ink will rupture the thin membrane 36 to thereby open theaperture 196 for the passage of ink into the main ink reservoir portionof the cartridge.

FIGURES 7 and 8 represent a further modification of the partition ofFIGURE 6. tion 36 is divided by the cross-slits 37 which define flaps38. Flaps 38 are normally closed to prevent passage of ink from thereserve ink reservoir into the main ink reservoir. However, when thetubular cartridge outer Wall (not shown) proximate the reserve inkreservoir is squeezed, the pressure on the reserve ink will force flaps38 to open as shown by the dotted lines of FIGURE 7 to allow the passageof ink into the main ink reservoir.

The plug members illustrated in FIGURES 6 to 8 can be inserted in acartridge and used in the same manner as the plug defined by numbers 24,25, and 19a is utilized in FIGURE 2, except that a cartridge having astraight tubular wall is used rather than a cartridge with tapered Walls15a of FIG. 2, since the walls 252 and 25 are not tapered. Walls 25c and25 can, of course, be tapered to permit their frictional or pressengagement with a tapered cartridge wall, e.g. the wall 15a of FIGURE 2.

I claim:

Ink cartridge for a fountain pen, said cartridge having Here, themembrane por- Y a front main ink reservoir and a rear reserve inkreservoir whereby ink in said reserve ink reservoir can be fed to saidfountain pen after said pen initially runs dry by exhaustion of ink insaid main ink reservoir, said cartridge comprising: an elasticplastic'tubular main body readily deformable by squeezing having alongitudinal axis, a rear closing end Wall, and a front closing endwall, said front closing end wall being adapted for piercing by thefeeder prong of said fountain pen to form the sole aperture in saidcartridge communicating with the atmosphere; and a transverselyextending partition Within said' main body dividing said main body intosaid front main ink reservoir and said rear reserve reservoir, saidpartition being defined by a necked-down portion of said main body, saidpartition defining a capillary discharge opening connecting said mainink reservoir and said reserve ink reservoir, said capillary dischargeopening being sutficiently small to normally prevent passage of inkbetween said reservoirs, said capillary discharge opening becomingoperative upon squeezing said deformable main body proximate saidreserve ink reservoir whereby reserve ink under pressure can be passedthrough said capillary discharge opening into said main ink reservoirafter said exhaustion of ink in said main reservoir.

References Qited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,890,100 Spiro Dec. 6, 1932 2,773,591 Jensen Dec. 11, 1956 2,885,104Greenspan May 5, 1959 2,951,466 Bross Sept. 6,1960 3,027,874 Bross Apr.3, 1962 3,065,732 Fejes Nov. 17, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 505,564 GreatBritain May 11, 1939 515,629 Italy Feb. 16, 1955 720,083 Great BritainDec. 15, 1954 1,198,270 France June 8, 1959

